Chain Reaction 2.34: Near Misery

Drake

     My dad is a sad man.

     Good.

     He deserves to be sad. He's ruined Mom's life, and he's ruined my life. He crushed me, destroying any sense of reliability I felt for my parents. Then, that anger drove me to fight with Emily. I've since apologized. She keeps wanting me to talk to her about my feelings about the divorce, but I don't want to talk to anyone. What's there to tell? My parents suck.

     No matter how much my parents suck, Emily's parents are far worse. I've dug up enough dirt on both of them to drain them dry should the whim strike me. The only reason I'm not going to is because I really like their daughter. They may be plum-holes, but their daughter rocks. She's sexy and smart, perfect for me. Yes, Emily is a real prize that I intend to keep.

     Although I have a rocking bedroom at my mom's new house, I still mostly live with Dad.

     He had to sell his house. He said he could 'see Laura' everywhere. I'm a bit sad to see the old house go, but I could always buy it back later if I wish.

     Dad bought a place downtown, a penthouse. I like it, all things considered. It's more fitting for a family as wealthy as ours. The only drawback is my bedroom is small, but it doesn't matter. I don't spend a lot of time in my bedroom.

     Why should I when I have such an entertaining hobby as making my father as miserable as possible? Sure, he does plenty enough on his own, but I don't think he alone can make himself suffer enough.

     "How was school today?" He tries to make conversation, tries to act normal, tries to act like he doesn't ruin the lives of everyone around him.

     I smile. I love open-ended questions: so much possibility to inflict pain. "It was great! I made an A on that chemistry exam. I know I owe it all to Emily. You know, she's great at chemistry."

     "Yes, she is."

     Time for the punch in the gut. He's eating. As in--he's not feeling guilty enough, meaning he has an appetite. "I'm sure she's going to take the world by storm if she isn't already. I like how I'm dating a college chick, even if she's just my age. It's cool. You know, she told me her mom wanted to go to college for chemistry but didn't get to. Did you know that?" I look over at him and smile.

       His fork rests on his plate of spaghetti. "No, I didn't." He gets up to get an invisible bottle of wine.

     "Oh? I thought you knew everything about her." Where's the salt?

     He grabs a wine glass from the cabinet. "Drake, not now."

     "What do you mean 'not now'? I'm just talking about how great Emily is." I smile. He knows I know exactly what he's talking about. I can take every topic and somehow link it to Emily's mom.

     He sits back down with his invisible wine. I wonder if he has an ulcer yet.

     "You know, since your grades are doing so well, you should join some kind of after-school activity. It would look good on college applications." Bless him, he keeps trying to make conversation.

     I let out a smart laugh. "Emily is my after-school activity."

     He gives me a look. "Do we need to have the talk?"

     I can't help it: I crack up laughing, hard up to the ceiling as I try to breathe. "No, and really, who are you to talk to anyone about anything?" I give him a flicker of a glare then smile.

     He digs his hole deeper. "Have you seen your mom lately?"

     Oh good. Let's talk about Mom. "Trying to get me to leave?" I don't let him answer. "Yeah. I saw her day-before-yesterday--before she went out with this guy. She told me his name was 'Mr. Franklin.' She didn't tell me his first name. He runs some company... I can't remember the name of it. Something with three capital letters."

     His voice sounds raspy. "I know the man."

     "Oh. Okay. Then I don't have to describe him to you. I have to say they looked good together."

     "I'm finished eating," he says, and victory streams through me. "Put away the leftovers."

     "Plum the leftovers. Hire a butler."

     "Maybe I will."

-------------------------------------

BTW, Drake has literally been evil since birth. It's just been waiting to shine.

This actually isn't how I originally intended to write this chapter, but when that 'loves misery' thing came up, it changed the whole tone of my plans. At first, I was getting aggravated at how happy Drake was...then I figured out why.

Click here for 2.35